Hashtags are an often mis-understood area of social media. Yet, it’s surprising how many clients I talk to don’t have even a basic grasp of how they work and how to use hashtags. They seem to be every present in our world, finding their way out of the digital realm and into print and banner advertising everywhere, even casual conversation. Worst of all, people who don’t understand hashtags were very scared of sounding stupid by asking that really simple question: “How do hashtags work and how to I use them in my social media channels more effectively?” If you want advice and guidance on how to hashtags and mentions, there’s no need to feel stupid when you ask for an explanation. Don’t worry, you’re not alone. In fact, it was a casual conversation with some clients and friends that highlighted the subject. In a recent client’s marketing meeting, someone commented “Have you seen XXX’s Twitter? They use loads of amazing hashtags”. I began trying to explain how that particular strategy wasn’t going to work and then realised that the person making the comment actually had no idea how hashtags actually worked or how to use hashtags and that this was going to be a long conversation. It was that discussion we had that highlighted the need to write this article. The comment, that one of their competitors or rivals used a truly prodigious amount of hashtags in their Twitter feed and that looked really impressive was interesting to me. Over coffee, the discussion between a group of us made me realise that for many people, hashtags can be a bit of a mystery. And while they are aware of the importance of them and they are indeed eye catching, it can be difficult for many people to truly understand how they work and above all, how best to use them in their own business or personal social media feeds. This article will hopefully explain the basics of hashtag principles, what they are and how to use them most effectively in your social media marketing. Hashtag Basics – What is a Hashtag? A hashtag looks like this #hashtag and has several uses and benefits. In your social media feed, it is a clickable link and is viewable to anyone with an interest in your hashtag, crucially including those outside of your social circle. This means that, it expands your reach to…